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The Los Angeles Lakers always seem to be in the middle of every trade rumor. Ever since their season ended, the rumors have been coming fast and furious. Most of them have been ridiculous but one has surfaced that actually makes sense.

ESPN’s John Hollinger discussed the possibility of the Brooklyn Nets doing a sign-and-trade deal that would send Deron Williams to the Lakers for Pau Gasol.

After two disappointing post seasons, Gasol may not have the trade value he once had, but he is still one of the most skilled big men in the league and would fit nicely with Brook Lopez. Williams has already stated that if the Nets don’t get Dwight Howard, he’s gone so they might as well try to get something for him.

As much as I like Ramon Session, Williams would put the Lakers back in title contention. (Kind of the way Chris Paul would have. Thanks again, David Stern.) This would be the One Big Trade every Lakers fan has wanted. Everybody would finally be happy.

Whether this trade ever happens is beyond me. But it is one of the few rumors that I have heard that makes sense for both teams.

One thing seem certain, and that is Pau Gasol has probably played his last game in the Purple and Gold.

The Los Angeles Lakers are currently in a state of emergency. After two embarrassing loses to the lowly Detroit Pistons and the even lowlier Washington Wizards on successive nights the Lakers look like a team that is ready to implode.

Both losses came after the Lakers blew huge leads and looked like they didn’t put forth any effort. They are looking like the Bored Lakers of old. You know, the teams that just didn’t seem to care and thought they could “flip the switch” whenever they wanted.

And now there are reports that the players want to “mutiny” against head coach Mike Brown’s offense and go back to the triangle. The problem is not with the offensive system but with the execution of that offense. When the Lakers execute Brown’s offense, that is pound the ball down low to Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, the Lakers win. Unfortunately, the Lakers can’t seem to do that for one complete game. They will do it for one half and then forget about it. The second half of both recent losses devolved into Kobe Bryant jacking up shot after shot and the rest of the team just standing around watching.

It’s sad that the players are putting up more of a fight against Brown than they are against their road opponents where they have a pathetic 6-14 record.

If this unrest and lack of effort continues then it’s time to make some major changes and start trading people. Ric Bucher has floated the idea that the Lakers should trade Kobe. While I don’t think the situation is that dire, it is time to trade for a point guard.

After the Chris Paul trade debacle earlier this year I thought the Lakers shouldn’t make any trade that involved Gasol or Bynum. I felt that they would be giving up too much for what they would receive. Now I’m not so sure. As much as I would hate to see either big man go, it may be time to make a trade. Right now any point guard is better than Derek Fisher and Steve Blake is too inconsistent to be trusted running the offense.

This season is about to be lost and Kobe is about to have another “wasted year” of his life, unless the Lakers make a trade to make the team better.

In the mean time, the players (including Kobe) need to buy into Mike Brown’s offense. That is the only chance they have if they want to contend for a title.

It was just a few weeks ago when many Lakers Fans were ready to ship out Andrew Bynum in order to get Dwight Howard. After the failed Chris Paul trade, many Lakers fans doubled down on a Bynum/Howard trade. They wanted that trade to happen no matter what.

To be fair, Dwight Howard is the best center in the NBA right now. And I will make the argument that Andrew Bynum is the second best center in the NBA. You might think I’m crazy, but think about it for a second. You know I’m right. And one thing to keep in mind, The Orlando magic are probably not going to trade Howard for Bynum straight up. They are going to want a lot for him. Probably more than the Lakers are willing to give up.

Plus, Drew has put together some very good games coming off his suspension. I know it’s a small sample set, but he looks good. Really good. This is the first time in his career that he is playing solid minutes and having the pressure to produce squarely on his shoulders. With Lamar Odom getting sent to the Dallas Mavericks, Drew has had to step up and to his credit, he has.

That is still not good enough for some. Soon after Drew’s first 20/20 game in his career against the Houston Rockets, many were tweeting, “How many 202/20 games does Dwight have?” Or they were bringing up all the games he has missed in his career. They were overlooking the obvious, though. Bynum is only now getting the minutes to have 20/20 games.

Up until now the Lakers have limited his minutes. Possibly because they were afraid he might get injured again. But now, without Odom on the team, Mike Brown has no choice but to play Bynum for heavy minutes. And I’m confident Drew will not let him (and us) down.

I know it’s only been two games but the Lakers are 0-2 and I say it’s time to push the Panic Button. Call it over reaction. Call it pessimism. Call it whatever you want. Just push that sucker.

It’s time.

After another last minutes collapse against the Sacramento Kings last night I tweeted that it is time to push the panic button and was immediately inundated with responses that I was crazy to even suggest such a thing. All I can say is something has to be done and pushing the Panic Button is as good a solution as any other I have heard.

I understand that Andrew Bynum is out but after watching the uninspired play of the Lakers and Kobe’s frustration level go off the charts, I’m not sure Bynum would have made a difference.

Think about this for a second, the Lakers had the game won against the Chicago Bulls on Christmas Day and fell apart in the last minute and gave the game away. The game against the Kings was one they should have won and were coming back only to fall apart in the last two minutes of the game. Two last minute collapses in two games is not confidence inspiring.

And watching Kobe get more and more frustrated isn’t helping, either. We all know that when he gets to the point where he doesn’t trust his teammates he gets into that mode where he tries to do it all by himself. And that is not good for the Lakers.

I understand Kobe’s frustration because I am frustrated, too. The Lakers did not get better in the offseason. They did not get Chris Paul or Dwight Howard like everyone thought they would. In fact, they may have gotten worse purely based on the fact that they traded away Lamar Odom for essentially nothing.

The NBA lockout is barely over and already one of the biggest trade rumors in recent history is making the rounds. I am of course talking about the possible trade deal that will send both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers.

You heard me right, BOTH of them.

This would easily make the Lakers the odds on favorite to win this year’s championship.

That is of course if it actually happens. To me it doesn’t seem feasible. I don’t think the Lakers have the players to make it happen. Even though sources are saying that every Lakers player not named Kobe is on the trading block I still don’t think they get both.

Any trade scenario would have to start with Andrew Bynum. Given his history of injury and the cheap shot he gave JJ Barera in last year’s playoffs its seems like the Lakers are ready to part way with him. But who else do you throw into the mix? Pau Gasol? If that is the case the Lakers have seriously depleted their frontcourt and left a foul-prone Howard with no help. Maybe they throw in Lamar Odom. Or Ron Arte…errrrr…Metta World Peace. Or Matt Barnes. Or Derek Fisher.

The question is, where do they stop? Do they give away the whole team to get Paul and Howard? For the Lakers’ sake I hope they don’t do that because they then run the risk of turning into the Miami Heat. That is, superstars up front and nobody on the bench.

If the Lakers can land only one player I think they should go for Chris Paul. They have a more dire need for a solid point guard than for a big man.

While it’s great to dream about the Lakers becoming a de facto All-Star team I think it is more realistic to think that they will get the one piece they need to win another championship. And that piece is Chris Paul.

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly have signed Mike Brown as their new Head Coach.

I first heard rumblings of this late last night and at first I was not too happy with the news. And neither were Laker Fans. The Twitterverse was filled with shock and angst. And I supplied my fair share of both.

But after a good night’s sleep (and several drinks) I have a new perspective on the hire. This could very well work out to be a good hire for the Lakers. Brown is a very good defense-minded coach and the Lakers need a serious overhaul on their defense. They had a hard time defending Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets and were completely exposed by the Dallas Mavericks.

So this may be exactly what the Lakers need. As long as he gets a little help on the offensive side. The Lakers have enough talent on offense that not even Mike Brown can screw it up. It’s like he has been handed the keys to a Maybach, all he has to do is not crash it.

And I don’t think he will crash it.

A quick look at his career will tell you that he is a capable coach. He may not be Phil Jackson, but who is? And to be honest, ANY coach is going to look like a step compared to Jackson.

Brown went 272-138 in five seasons with the Cavaliers, taking the team to the Eastern Conference finals twice and one trip to the NBA Finals in 2007. He was also named Coach of the Year in 2009. So the guy can coach. And he certainly has a better group of players in the Lakers than he did with the Cavs.

Of course we all know he was fired after LeBron James left Cleveland for Miami as a free agent last summer despite going 127-37 in his final two regular seasons with the Cavs.

So I say, let’s give Mike Brown a chance. It will be interesting to see if Brown can bring some intensity back to the Lakers’ defense.